A DIRTY DOZEN AT BLUES
SUNDERLAND RCA grabbed two goals deep into injury time at nineman Northern Premier League West side
Clitheroe to salvage a remarkable 6-6 draw and an FA Cup preliminary round replay.
Goals from Ollie Wood, Josh Gregory and two for Obi Anoruo got the home side off to the perfect start.
But Sunderland fought back through Luke Page and Dom Moan before Clitheroe looked to have put things to bed when Anuruo grabbed his hattrick.
Yet the away team were not to be beaten so easily, as first Jonny Davis and then Michael Charlton gave them hope.
Clitheroe led 5-4 with ten minutes to go before a mass brawl saw them lose two men to straight red cards but they extended their lead heading into injury-time.
Yet Sunderland somehow found another gear, making things interesting when Moan scored his second and it was Nathan O’Neill who sealed an incredible draw on 93 minutes when he scored at the back post.
Irlam came away with a shock 2-1 win at higher-division opponents Prescot Cables.
Matthew Boland opened the scoring for the Mitchells, before Josh Klein-Davies missed a great opportunity to level things when he saw a penalty saved on the halfhour mark.
He soon made amends, however, equalising with a header just three minutes later, but it was Irlam who would grab the win thanks to Boland’s second.
There was a similar shock at Runcorn Linnets, when they went down to Maltby Main by the same score-line.
Main had to do things the hard way when Paul Shanley put the home side ahead 15 minutes in.
But they got a deserved equaliser on the stroke of half-time as Ross Duggan bludgeoned his way through the Linnets defence to finish.
Maltby dominated the second half and should have been out of sight but did score the decisive goal in the 69th minute when a wasted Runcorn free-kick was punished by a superb finish from Danny Frost, his shot going in off the crossbar.
Selby Town earned a shock replay with a 1-1 draw at Kendal Town, a side two tiers higher.
Selby made a bright start before opening the scoring through Carl Stewart, who smashed the ball home from the edge of the area.
Kendal dominated the second half and after Gavin Clark was denied by Peter Lawrie, the home side equalised when Ben Thomas unleashed an unstoppable shot from distance into the bottom left hand corner.
It was an all-Northern Premier League West affair when Kidsgrove drew 1-1 with Ramsbottom.
Grove had deservedly gone in ahead at the break thanks to Anthony Malbon’s spectacular volley, but Ramsbottom secured a replay thanks to an 80th minute Jerome Wright penalty.
Colne ran out convincing 4-0 winners in their tie at Pickering Town.
Goals from Alex Curran and substitute Nick McNally helped to seal the win and progression to the next round. Atherton Collieries also continue their cup adventure with a hard fought 2-1 win over Colwyn Bay.
A first-half Ben Harcastle penalty and a goal from Ben Conway gave them a 2-0 lead before Tom McCready pulled back a consolation goal for Colwyn Bay.
On Friday night Bowers and Pitsea beat Barking 1-0 thanks to an acrobatic strike from Jamie Dicks, whilst Tooting and Mitcham beat Horley Town 2-1.